Railway-traffic-controlling apparatus



Sept. R" A.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING APPARATUS Filed Jul 29. 1926 N LL3- 8 A I a N "9"- R I U u. n u

1 N g INVENTOR iv Patented Sept. 27, 1927.

UNITED. STATES smear ferries.

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RONALD A. MQCANN, 0 "SFVVISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, 1' nssIdno-n" To rnn nwronswITcH & SIGNAL COMPANY, or SWISSVALE, PENnsYLvAnr-n, a conronnmroit OF PENNSYLVANIA. I

li'p ucaadn filed my 29,

Referring to the drawing, the reference characters 1 and 1 designate the track rails of a railway track ot er which tratfic moves in bo'tli directions. These rails are divided by insulated joints" 2 into a plurality of track sections of which only one section A -B' is shown in the drawing. The section A E is one section of a system of the type known a's'absolute permissive block sig11all11'g,'S0 that a' westbound signal S and an eastbound signal- S are-locatedat point A, whereas a westbound signal S and an'eastbound signal S" are located at point These signals are controlled in" accordance with absolute permissive block signaling, and for this purpose the signal S is provided with a signal relay F which is con},

trolled" by traffic conditions to the west of the section A-B, while the signal S is provided with a: signal relay F which is controlled by tra iii'c' conditions'to the east of the section A-B. These two relays are normallyenergized, but each relay is de-en'ergized when the territory through which it is controlled is occupied by a train. Signal S is provided with a normally de-ener gized" stick relay E which'beooi'nes energized" when an eastbound train passes signal S and remains energized until after such train has passed point 13'. Located at .point Bis a normally de-energized relay P, which re,- peats the condition of the stick relay E and is therefore energized ortie-energized according as relay E is energized or deenergized;

All of these'relays are controlled in accordance with absolute permissive block signaling, which system is well understood and need not be described in the present application;

1926. serial No. i'es'grea Located at; an intermediate point in the sect1onA-B is a westbou'ndtrain order signal t? and an eastboundtrain order signal purpose o'f'jdelivering orders to" the train crew. Signal C controlsa contactfi which isclosed only when the signal indicates proceed, and signal D controls a similarconta'ct 3 which is likewise closed only when the signal indicates proceed.

Means are provided for supplying the" sec tion A' -B with train governing current, and, as here shown, this means comprises circuits by which local current is supplied to the rails of the section in-para'llel'. For this purpose an impedance 5' is connected across the'r'ails adjacent point A, an im'ped since 8 is connected across the rails adjacent the point B, and two impedances' 6" and 7' are connected. across'the rails adjacent the point Local current is supplied tr'ans'- formers T TZ T, and Tflthe' primaries 11 oi which are all supplied with energy from a: transmission line 13- 13 which in turn is connectedwithja' generator G;

Referriifig first to transformer T the primary 11 of this transformer is constantly connected with the transmission line 1318 and the secondary 10 is provided with a normally closed circuit which passes from the left-hand tern'iinal of this secondary through back contact d d? of relay E impedance 6, track rails 1 a'ndll in multiple from point X to point A,impedance Sand con-tact 9 of re:- lay F to the right-hand terminal of secondary 10' of transformer T The'primary 11 of transformer T is provided with a circuit which passes from line wire 13, through contact' 12 of relay F contact 3 operated by train order signal-C, and the primary 11 of transformer T, to line wire 13. The second ary of transformer T is provided with a normally closed circuit which passes from the left-hand terminal of this secondary, through impedance 8,,tracli rails l and l in mul'tiple'from point Bto point X, im edance 7 and back contact l i l i" of relay to the right-hand terminal of the secondary 10. It will be seen, therefore, that if relay F is energized and relay E is de-energized west 1 in multiple from point B to bound train governing current will be supplied to the rails between points A and X, and that if relay F isenergized and relay P is deenergized and train order signal is in the clear position, westbound train governing current will also be supplied to the rails between points B and X.

i The primary 11 of transformer Tis con stantly connected with the transmission line from line wire 13 through contact 16 of relay Fflcontact 3 operated by signal D and y the primary 11 of transformer T to line wire 13*. The secondary circuit for transformer T is normally open, andthis circuit passes from the right-hand terminal of the transformer secondary through front contactt4c of relay impedance 6, track rails l and 1 in multiple from point X to point A, and impedance 5 to the left-hand terminal of secondary 10. It will be seen,

therefore, that it signal relay F is energized and repeater relay -P is energized eastbound train governing current will be supplied to the rails between points X and B, whereas if relays F and E are both energized and train order signal D is in the clear position, eastbound train governing current will also be supplied to the rails between points A and X.

The trackway apparatus herein shown and described is suitable for co-operation with train-carried governing means in such manner that when the train occupies a stretch of track which is being supplied with train governing current the governing means causes a less restrictive indication, such as proceed, to be received on the train, and when the train occupies a stretch of track which is not supplied with train governing current a'more restrictive indication, such as stop, is received on the train, 7

As shown inthe drawing, the apparatus associated with section A-B is free from the influence of trains, and signals C and D ceive train governing current as long as it is in the section. If, however, trafiic conditions to the west of the section ATB are unsafe, relay F will be tie-energized, so that the sup 1y of westbound train governing current "etween points A and X will be discontinued at contact 9 of relay F and the supply of westbound train governing current between points X and B will be discontinued at contact 12 of relay F. If relay F is energized and train order signal C is at stop, the supply of westbound train governing current between points B and X will'be discontinued, but the supply of this current between points X and A will not be affected and so a westbound train between the two latter points will not be stopped.

I will now assume that an east-bound train enters section AB This train will cause relays E and P to become energized, thereby discontinuing the supply of westbound current at back Contact H of relay E and back contact 14-14 of relay P. The circuit for supplying eastbound train governing current between points X and B, will be closed at front contact1114l of relay P, and the circuit for supplying eastbound train governing current between points A and X will become closed at front contact 4l of relay E If, however, relay F is de-energized, the supply of eastbound train governing current will. be discontinued at contacts 15' and 16 of this relay, and so the closing of relays E and P will be ineffective in so far as the supply of this current to the trackrails is concerned. If relay F is energized and train order signal D is at stop, the supply of eastbound train governing currentbetween points A i pended claims without departing fromthe spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention,

what I claim is:

1. In a railway train control system comprising a section of track carrying both westbound and eastbound train movements, a normally energized signal relay controlled by traflic conditions to thewest of said section, a second normally energized signal relay controlled by traflic conditions to the east of said section, a normally de -energized stick relay closed when an eastbound train occupies the section, and anormally de-en- 'ergized repeater relay closed when said stick relay is closed; the combination with the aforementioned instrumentalities of two train order signals located at an intermediate point in said section 'for governing eastbound and westbound movements respec isease tively, and means controlled by said relays and by said signals for supplying train governing current'to therails of saidsection.

2, In a railway traincont-rol system comprising a section of track carrying both westbound and eastbound train movements,

a normally energized signal relay controlled by traflic conditions torthe west of said section, a second normally energized signal relay controlled by traffic conditions to the east of said section, a normally de-energized stick relay closed when'an eastbound train occupies the section, and a normally de-energized repeater relay closed when said stick relay is closed; the combination with the aforementioned instrumentalities of two train order signals located at an intermediate point in said section for governing eastbound and westbound movements respectively, means controlled bysaid first-mentioned signal relay for supplying westbound train governing current to the rails of said section from said intermediate point to the west end of the section, means controlled'by said first-mentioned signal relay and by the westbound train order signal for supplying westbound train governing current to the rails of the section from the east end to said intermediate point, means controlled by said second-mentioned signal relay and by said repeater relay for supplying eastbound train governing current to the rails of the section from said intermediate point to the east end of the section, and means controlled by said second-mentioned signal relay and by said stick relay and by said eastbound train order signal for supplying train governing current to the rails of the section from the west end to said intermediate point.

3. In a. railway train control system comprising a section of track carrying both westbound and eastbound train movements, a normally energized signal relay controlled by traiiic conditions to the West of said section, a second normally energized signal relay controlled by traffic conditions to the east of said section, a normally de-energized stick relay closed when an eastbound train occupies the section, and a normally de-energized repeater relay closed when said stick relay is closed; the combination with the aforementioned instrumentalities of an impedance 5 connected across the rails adjacent the west end of said section, an impedance 8 connected across the rails adjacent the east end of said section, and two impedances 6 and 7 connected across the rails at an intermediate point in said section, a transformer T having its primary constantly supplied with energy and having its secondary connected with the mid points of impedances 5 and 6 through a front contact of said first-mentioned signal relay and a back contact of said stick relay, a transformer T having its primary constantly suppl ed, with en gy; a secondary circuit for said transformer Te connected with mid .pointsof impedancesT and ;8 and including afrontcontact of the second-mentioned signal relay and a back contact of said repeater through a frontcontact of. said stick relay,

,i-tra fma r T having t p y plied with energy through a front Contact of saidv first-mentioned signal relay, and a secondary circuit for transformer T connected with the mid points of impedances 7 and 8 through a back contact of said repeater relay.

4. In a railway train control system comprising a section of track carrying both westbound and eastbound train movements, a normally energized signal relay controlled by traiiic conditions to the west of said section, a second normally energized signal relay controlled by traflic conditions to the east of said section, a normally de-energized stick relay closed when an eastbound train occupies the section, and a normally deenergized repeater relay closed when said stick relay is closed; the combinationwith the aforementioned instrumentalities of means for supplying westbound train governing current to the rails of said section between the west end of the section and an intermediate point when said first-mentioned signal relay is energized and said stick relay is tie-energized, means for supplying westbound train governing current to the rails of said section between said intermediate point and the east end of the section when said first-mentioned signal relay is energized and said repeater relay is de-energized, means for supplying eastbound train governing current to the rails of said section between the east end of the section and said intermediate point when said second-mentioned signal relay is energized and said repeater relay is energized, and means for sup plying eastbound train governing current to the rails of said section between said intermediate point and the west end of the section when said second-mentioned signal ditions to the west of said section for supplying train governing current to the rails from said intermediate point to the west end of the section, means controlled by trafiic conditions to the west of said section and by said westbound train order signal for supplying Westbound train governing current from the east end of. the section to said intermediate point, means controlled by traffic conditions to the east of said section for supplying eastbound train governing current to the rails from said intermediate point to the east end of the section, and means controlled by trafiic conditions to the east of said section and by said eastbound train order signal for supplying eastbound train governing current to the rails from the west endof the section to sa1d intermedlate I point. a

6. In combination; a section of railwaytrack, a tram-order signal located at an 111- termedlate po1nt in said section means controlled by traffic conditions inadvance of said section for supplying train governing current to the rails from said signal to the exit end of the section, and means controlled jointly by said signal and by traflicconditions in advance of the section for supplying train governing current to the rails from 

